Carbon Footprint Drops a Size at Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks

Last Updated (Thursday, 22 May 2008 09:31)

Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parcs have just completed for the 2007 season a NEW eco-friendly luxury shower and washroom suite at their Twitchen Holiday Parc in Woolacombe, North Devon.

The 300 pitch touring site now boasts one of the most luxurious yet energy efficient facilities in the country.  The suite contains 22 individual, self contained shower cabins, a family bathroom, disabled room, sauna and steam room

It is light and airy and gives the feel on entry of a luxurious country house spa with the magnificent under-floor heating creating a warm and pleasant atmosphere.  Showers are electronically controlled giving a long and continuous flow of hot water and the seating, mirrors and ample drainage basins within the cabins allows the user to complete all washing, shaving and grooming in privacy.

Although the holiday parc has had the user's luxury in mind in design and construction, the environment and its carbon footprint have been borne very much considered. 

Heating and hot water are provided by two sources - solar energy, a bank of south facing solar panels provide the initial source, this is backed up by 14 instantaneous boilers, these have been used as an alternative to the traditional method of large volumes of hot water stored in cylinders and having to be kept hot for the majority of the day or night waiting for customers to use.  With instantaneous boilers the more people that want to shower or bath the more boilers come on and vice versa with obvious energy savings.

Water for toilet flushing is harvested from rain water from the roof and is stored in a huge stainless steel tank.  Apart from essential lighting, all lights in the building are controlled by movement sensors, so only the areas of the building that are in use consume energy.  Floors, walls and ceilings are highly insulated and the showers have such a short run from the hot water system they are almost instantly hot. 

Many of the materials were locally sourced and all the tradesmen were from the North Devon area.  The development cost was in the region of £500,000 and was initially believed to be very little more expensive to incorporate the energy saving designs and certainly far more cost effective in the longer term.

During the winter the company also redeveloped 100 of the parcs touring pitches providing hard standings, electric, water, low energy lighting and satellite TV connections to its pitches, many of which command 180 degree sea views over the green headlands of Morte Point, Lundy Island and the glorious sand and surf of Woolacombe Bay.